Storytelling, Great characters and Appeal.

So, it's been a while. First I would like to say thanks to everyone who has offered to help. I promise I will get back to you in time.
A lot has happened since. So it seems I haven't been upto much lately, but that's just because I haven't touched my wacom in a while now. I am spending my time reading, writing, watching movies and rewriting my story outlines. I can honestly say that story is one big tough cookie. With great taste, but tough nevertheless. And because it's so invisible compared to creating art, I'm thinking of using my blog in a different way.

So, where do I stand after spending 5 months with my project? Well, I still believe in what I originally wanted to say (Thank God;) Although I might have changed the way I want to say it, but I consider that to be continous insight. And at the same time I'm constantly working and sharpening my ideas on story, great characters and appeal I read a while back in an inspirational post by Kevin Koch:

‘What are the three most important things for a successful animated film?’ is, Storytelling, great characters, appeal. When you’ve have these three things going on, you have a chance unleash a Lion King or a Toy Story or an Ice Age.

Appeal, as I’ve discussed before, is difficult to quantify, and I’m not going to try here. We know it when we see it. The first moment we saw Skrat in the very first teaser for the very first Ice Age, we were hooked. Regardless of what the story might turn out to be, we were going to that film. I was turned off a little when I saw the later trailers, which gave a taste of the story and other characters (I recognized the well-used “Three Men and a Baby” story, and wasn’t impressed with Ray Romano’s voicework). But the appeal of Skrat and his elusive acorn sold me, as I think it did so many others.

And appeal is something that is important to me, because my story taking place in medieval Europe. Personally I see some issues if I want this to be for a mainstream audience. Not unsurmountable, but still something that needs to be fixed in my eyes. I don´t think it´s something that is appealing to a lot of folks. Appeal also relates to the world in which your story takes place. In short: You need to want to go back to that place, even after the movie ended.
Just ask yourself (you as a mainstream moviefan): Would you go to see an animated movie that took place in medieval Europe?